


milkshakes and window art

by luckysam78



Series: phan oneshots [2]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Diners, Art, Diners, Gay, M/M, Milkshakes, Minor Character Death, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2019-05-10 08:56:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14733923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luckysam78/pseuds/luckysam78
Summary: dan works at a diner and there's one boy who always is at the diner who he can't get his mind off





	milkshakes and window art

**Author's Note:**

> tw: implied abuse, family death

Dan had only been working in the diner for a few months but in that one month, one particular customer caught his eye. The boy with glasses would always come in the dead of night and order a chocolate milkshake and sit in the 3rd booth from the door. He would sit there for hours and although he sometimes would read a book or listen to the window, the boy most often would draw on the window. During the night, fog would stick to the inside of the window and the boy drew pictures and all sorts of fantastic shapes on the window.

Nobody ever stopped him or questioned his actions since the time he arrived at was the time when only one or two people were left on shift. The boy used to only come on Friday and Saturday nights but as time passed, he began visiting more often and Dan's interest in him increased with each visit. Dan wondered 1) why the boy never drew on paper and 2) why the boy only ordered chocolate milkshakes. Dan didn't mind that the boy drew on windows because he loved seeing the faded lines of the previous night's masterpiece on the window.

When Dan had first started working at the diner, he asked his fellow employees about the boy and all of them simply just informed that the boy liked to be left alone and to not to worry much about him.

Whether there was pouring rain or blinding sun, the boy would always come alone to the diner. Although he seemed bright and cheery at first glance, the boy was notably getting more tired and sad with each visit. Why did he always visit the diner, not any other shop? What could be possibly happening at his house that would make him not want to be at home?

The boy was all Dan seemed to think of and finally, Dan decided to stop stalling and find the answers for himself.

It was about 12 AM at night and the diner was practically empty except for the boy and another couple who were huddled in a corner, giggling about a joke only they shared. Instead of calling out the order, Dan walked the milkshake over to the boy's table.

"Mind if I join you?" Dan asked and the boy looked up from his canvas, startled to find that Dan was here.

"Oh, not at all," The boy answered unfazed, barely even looking up from the window. Dan slid into the seat across from the boy and watched him doodle on the windows. His finger traced swirls and dotted lines and formed delicate designs that seemed to entrance Dan.

"This sounds a bit invasive but do you mind if I ask why you always come here?" Dan blurted nervously, crinkling a straw wrapper between his fingers.

The boy smiled faintly, "Not at all. Besides, you deserve to know why I always come. But don't you think you should know my name before I reveal all my secrets?"

"O-oh, I'm Dan."

 

"Nice to meet you, Dan, I'm Phil and as to why I come here, it's a very long story so if you have something planned for later, I should probably tell you tomorrow," Phil grinned, pushing his glasses higher up on his nose. Dan shook his head, urging Phil to continue, so he did.

"When I was a young boy, my father brought me to this diner every Monday night. He was an artist and he taught me how to draw by drawing on these windows. We sat in this exact booth every time and he would always order plain chocolate milkshakes for us. My dad was such a simple but amazing man. We were so happy back then, my mom, my dad, my brother and I," Phil wistfully recalled, pausing to take a sip of his milkshake and gazed out the window, admiring the night sky and city lights.

"But of course, good things never last for long. My dad died of an unexpected heart attack. His death really... wrecked my family, to say the least. My dad was the glue that held us together. Whenever we had a bad day, he would find a way to make us all laugh with a silly drawing or a goofy joke." Dan watched Phil's smile recede like the tide of an ocean receding from the sand dotting the beach.

"My brother grew distant and my mother made it her mission to find another guy to replace my dad, hoping that it would surely be the solution to bring my brother back. But it only drove the gap between my brother and my family much deeper. My mother continued to search for a replacement for my father and one day, she met a man that she believed was her soulmate. My mother decided to start dating him only one month after they met. The man, Jacob, seemed nice at first glance. Even my brother began to come home more often just to talk with him but after a while, Jacob began to change.

"My brother needed to go to college and Jacob began to get more easily irritated around me. He still treated my mother like a diamond but behind her back, he would yell at me for being so clumsy and stupid. Eventually, I couldn't take the shouting anymore so I left the house. I would wander around the town, going to wherever I felt like going. I came to the diner one night and I was hit with all the memories I had made with not only my father but with my entire family. We came to this diner and whenever my brother or I completed a big project or finished the semester with exceptional grades.

"I began coming to this diner and reliving memories whenever Jacob got a bit too rowdy, especially on weekends. Then it began happening more often and so I began leaving the house more often. My mom didn't notice my disappearance until a few nights ago. She apologized for not noticing and being so occupied with Jacob but didn't exactly follow through on her promise to spend more time with me. So there you have it, my whole life story."

"Oh my god... I'm really sorry. It must suck," Dan supplied almost at loss for words and absolutely shocked. Phil must be pretty lonely to have trusted Dan enough to tell him everything about his life.

"No, it's fine. I mean, my mom seems pretty happy with Jacob and my brother seems content to have gotten out of the house," Phil replied, slurping up the last of his milkshake. A short silence fell across the table as Dan watched Phil stare off into space.

"You should draw on paper. It's such a shame to see such amazing artwork go to waste," Dan smiled as Phil blushed at the compliment.

"My dad always told me true artwork is only beautiful under two circumstances: when you are drawing it and a few moments after you finish. He always encouraged me to start a new piece of art each time we came to the diner. He believed in new beginnings," Phil chuckled, shaking his head as he reminisced memories of his father.

"What about you? What's your story behind working at the diner?" Phil asked, snapping out of his dream-like trance. 

"Oh, I just wanted to make a bit of money to help me in college, that's all. No deep backstory or emotional trauma," Dan answered, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Well, thank you for the milkshake and for kindly listening to my rant," Phil grinned and just as he stood up to leave, Dan suddenly called, "Wait! Can I have your number?"

Dan felt flames licking his face right after he threw his words into the air the took out the notepad and pencil used to record people's orders. Thankfully, Phil wrote down his number before leaving the diner.

Each time Phil visited, Dan would find the time to sit down with him and ask how things were going. Soon, Dan allowed Phil to sleep over at his house whenever Jacob was acting especially nasty. Dan didn't know when it happened but he began feeling more than emotionally connected with Phil. He would resist the urge to reach over the table and hold Phil's hand whenever he talked about something sad or serious. Dan also repressed the urge to lay his head on Phil's shoulder or wrap an arm around Phil's frail torso whenever they sat next to each other.

Dan wasn't quite sure what these feelings were but he knew that it would be clearer after many milkshakes with Phil Lester, the mysterious boy at the diner.


End file.
